view of Ushuaia as the ship nears the dock
Ushuaia, Argentina
Though people seemed to have slightly different pronunciation for Ushuaia from one another, most of the locals seemed to say something like ooo-shy-uh, only all ran together smoothly rather than obviously separate sounds and the ooo part rhymes with boo.
shore view from the cruise dock
Ushuaia is the capital of the Tierra del Fuego province of Argentina. Although it’s a cold place at the southern end of Argentina, the name means land of fire. It came from Spanish explorers who saw the fires of indigenous people onshore when sailing past.
location of Ushuaia on a map
Ushuaia is on the Beagle Channel, named for the ship Charles Darwin used when exploring the area on a survey voyage in 1833-34. It was named after his ship because he was the first foreign explorer to document the channel’s existence.
lighthouse view
Local legend from the indigenous people who first lived in the area says that a witch froze all of the water, but one of their gods fought with the witch and won. This fight was done by supernatural beings up in the sky, and apparently gigantic ones at that. After the fight the god dropped his slingshot, opening up the ice into water and that’s what made the Beagle Channel, which is shaped like a slingshot. Glaciers there are retreating the same as glaciers pretty much everywhere, but there is still a lot of ice in the region.
view of the shore
Money in Argentina is the Argentine peso. It currently takes 1394.79 Argentine pesos to equal 1 US dollar. Of course that number changes over time. The language of Argentina is Spanish. A lot of Antarctic expeditions begin in Ushuaia so a lot of foreigners pass through there. It is easier to find people who speak English in Ushuaia than it is in a lot of other areas of South America. Most places take cards and some will take American money, but don’t try to use British pounds anywhere in Argentina. We were warned not to go onshore in Argentina wearing anything with any sort of logo from the UK. They still have hard feelings over the Falkland War. (It’s the opposite in the Falklands, which Argentina and some other Spanish-speaking countries refer to as the Ialas Malvinas.)
ships at the dock
Ushuaia Cruise Ship Port
Holland America Oosterdam docked in Ushuaia, which was rare on our Antarctic cruise since many of the ports required tenders. Tendering is when the ship docks offshore and brings passengers to land in small boats. Ushuaia was our last port before Antarctica so it was the last place for any new supplies – which definitely helps to have a dock.
small expedition cruise ship at the dock
Some small-ship expedition cruises to Antarctica start and/or end their voyages in Ushuaia. For the much larger Oosterdam it was just a port stop. Oosterdam is fairly small compared to the megaships some other cruiselines have, but it is big compared to expedition ships. On expedition cruises people get off their ship in Antarctica, whereas on ours we just sailed around and looked at it from the ship, but those cost a lot more.
long dock at the port
The dock is long and had multiple ships docked. There are some shops and a tour booth right on the dock. After leaving the port there is a tourist information building to the right and a taxi stand to the left. There is a train shaped city tour bus that has a miniature train shaped ticket booth across the street from the port. We also saw a double decker bus stopped near the port. Shops and restaurants are within walking distance of the dock.
shops on the dock
Other things to do in Ushuaia near the cruise dock include the Museo del Fin del Mundo which is just over half a mile away. This museum is about Tierra del Fuego’s cultural history and displays pre-Columbian artifacts and historical archive in two significant heritage buildings.
double decker hop on hop off bus
At just under 3/4 of a mile from the dock there is a century old Catholic church on San Martin Street that was built with convict labor. Just over 3/4 of a mile is the Museo Maritime and Museo del Presidio. These museums are housed in a former prison and are entirely funded by visitor support and local contributions. Displays are maritime and Antarctic heritage.
visitor’s center
Just over a mile finds the Cartel Ushuaia memorial honoring Argentine soldiers. The location provides striking views of the Beagle Channel and the Andes Mountains. At 1.4 miles the Antigua Casa Beban cultural center preserves Ushuaia’s architectural heritage. It has hosted exhibitions and events since its restoration in 1994.
city tour bus shaped like a train engine
Glacier Martial Ushuaia is 4.8 miles away and has panoramic views of the Beagle Channel and the Andes Mountains as well as hiking trails. Tierra del Fuego National Park is 7.8 miles away and was created to protect sub-Antarctic forests. The park contains glacial valleys, rugged mountains, diverse wildlife, and scenic coastline along the Beagle Channel.
train to the end of the world at the station near Ushuaia
The Train to the End of the World runs from outside of town to Tierra del Fuego National Park. This can be booked as a shore excursion or on your own. Either way advance booking is recommended as there may not be space available on a train if you just go there without a reservation. The train depot is about 8 kilometers from the cruise port. Booking as a ship’s excursion includes transportation from the port and a train just with people from the ship. Enough people booked this on our cruise that there were several busses and at least two trains just for people from the Oosterdam.
Tierra del Fuego national park
Other ship’s excursions offered in Ushuaia include a catamaran cruise to a penguin rookery and lighthouse, canoeing in Tierra del Fuego National Park, hiking, a wildlife cruise in the Beagle Channel, a visit to Tierra del Fuego National Park, or traveling by 4×4 to a fishing village to cook and eat King Crab.
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